In the beginning of May 2018, my mother and I visited Caprock Canyons State Park outside of Quitaque, Texas, about 100 southeast of Amarillo. Caprock encompasses over 15,000 acres, an abandoned train tunnel that is home to half a million Mexican free-tailed bats, the Texas State Bison Herd, and over 90 miles of trails.

In early January, I visited Zion National Park in southwestern Utah for the first time. The Virgin River cuts Zion Canyon and has created this giant, majestic land form. Bands of red sandstone paint the walls of this gorge, as if done with purpose.